Week 83 Kumasi

The weeks have just been going by soooo fast.... hahah I can't even comprehend how fast time is going. I feel like if I blink right now it'll be Friday! So crazy! 

Things here in the Ghana Kumasi Mission are changing! For the Better! I mean I'm next to a missionary right now calling his family. That’s so Wild!  Since when did missions get SOFT??? No no no, it's a great revelation.  Gotta enjoy the family. 

I found myself in some familiar places this week!  We  traveled to Obuasi... I don't know if any of you people remember ever hearing about that place but I served there for a transfer. It was my second area.  We had to take some missionaries down to Obuasi so I stopped by some homes of a couple of recent converts to say hi. It was really cool!  Today I find myself in TAMALE! Yay!  It’s a long journey up to the North.  We have a Zone conference tomorrow. It's kind of funny to be in areas you've previously served in.

This week we got busy so our proselyting hours were a little low...  We did manage our time and found a couple of people. Elder Garrett and I have been answering all questions we get from people with the Book of Mormon.  Any one we get.... Straight Book of Mormon.  It's crazy to see how much The Book can speak for it's self.  It truly touches people’s hearts!  We have a couple people progress towards baptism!  I think I mentioned Ishmael last week. Ishmael is so cool.  He is a single dad of a 4-year-old son. He always calls us "my brodas" hahah!  He has been coming to church and loves it so we are praying for him! 

Anyway.. Crazy things going down this week! Gonna be a good one! Elder Garrett and I found some dope hats, so be expecting some sweet pics of hats! 

Elder Turner

Quote of the week – "There's trucks and there's Mudders!" – Elder Smith

On an exchange with Elder Dennis and Elder Paskett

Elder Vaituulala went home to have knee surgery and now he's back!

Week 82 Kumasi

WELL, Just another fast week here in the Ghana Kumasi Mission! This week was crazy as I'm sure EVERYONE knows by now about the new missionary rule for Communicating with the Families. That is just crazy!  I never expected that.  Our mission just BLEW up with questions.  So Friday, Saturday and yesterday we spent taking phone calls from missionaries and answering the same questions over and over all day. Super crazy though! WE BELIEVE IN CONTINUOUS REVELATION!

During Transfers. This is Sister Okafor in the red and she is training Sister Okeke.  They are both from Nigeria

Me with Elder Dago, my former trainee, and Elder Guerra, a new missionary from the Philippines he is training.  So this is my son and grandson! Ha!!

Anyway, This week was cool. Elder Garrett and I were busy this week. We had transfers to do and everything went well. No problems there. We tried to fit in a little proselyting. We are having a person who we are teaching named Ishmael.  He is a super sweet guy who calls each of us "MY BROTHA!"  He is 42 years old and always wears a backwards dad hat. He is sooooo cool and just a stud. He loves the Gospel. He'll do anything to hear a good message from us.  He has come for the past two weeks.  He came once last transfer before I got to this area. We did start to teach him though.  So everything is cool!  He understands and loves it! 

Today we had an odd encounter.  We met some people who claimed to have seen the Savior and even Joseph Smith in visions.  They claim to draw people "to the Lord."  Whatever that means.  He was standing with a guy and said how he had seen the Lord just YESTERDAY!  Wow! I was just in Shock.  He has met with the missionaries multiple times in the past and he brought up Joseph Smith. He told us how Joseph Smith was "the real deal." He claimed to have had multiple encounters with him. He said he is a "beautiful man."  So that was about it. That experience made me a little uncomfortable and I kinda just wanted to leave. But, I didn't know what to think about that experience.  I noticed that he didn't claim that this church was true.  I have a hard time believing that he saw all these things IF the Savior didn't testify those things.  Kinda odd. 

Anyway, We are just super busy around here trying to scrape up some proselyting time. Just praying! 

Remember that the Lord is there to always ease your burdens people!! 

Elder Turner

I found a roll of money!

This is us getting pumped up!

Week 81 Kumasi

Another transfer has come and I have left Berekum..... It is a sad story but a funny thing happened as well. I hope you can see it in a video with my new companion. 

Leaving the members in Berekum was rough and it totally sucked. I will miss that branch and having Sunday worship services in a house. President Ofosuhene almost called our mission President to get me to stay... I guess I just feel super blessed to be apart of the "pioneers" in Berekum.  I know that place will eventually be a district with how the members minister and how they get trained. 

A quick update on Clifford back in Berekum… Clifford is now jobless. He had a job that was preventing him from being baptized. Ok, let me just throw it out. Clifford was an anti-Christ, and an online scammer when we met him.  We found out that he was supporting himself and his siblings with this job.  As he studied the gospel of Jesus Christ he began praying and felt he needed to stop scamming so he could be baptized.  So he quit his job with barely enough money to manage for a couple of weeks to be baptized.  I just found out he has a job opportunity and he possibly will be baptized this coming week. YES! Super happy. 

My new area is Daban 1, in a ward in Kumasi.  My new companion is Elder Garrett. We have been talking about being companions our whole mission and it came true!!!  He is from Syracuse, Utah and just a funny guy.  You'll be seeing more of that. Don't worry!! Hahaha!

When the call came that said I would be transferred this week I was told that I would be traveling alone.  I was by myself and my bus broke down in the middle of nowhere.  I had one bar of service on my phone but I managed to contact Elder Garrett.  He came to the rescue and picked me up. What a lifesaver!  Together we will be serving as Assistants to President Webster.  So we are freaking busy! 

Life is crazy! I love my mission. Thanks to everyone for the support. Just remember the three alters in your life (the Sacrament, Endowment, and Sealing).  Be at every single one and you'll never get lost.....  

ELDER ELIJAH T. TURNER

GHANA KUMASI MISSION

Week 80 Berekum

80 weeks in Ghana. Wow. I can't believe it. This week was just another typical fast week.  We spent some time in Sunyani for our Zone Conference.  It was another good one!!  The discussion focused on obedience, which is typical for a Zone Conference in West Africa... hahaha! But in all seriousness, we also talked about miracles and the promptings of the spirit. It was great!

Us with our Mission President at Zone Conference

Because of Zone Conference and traveling we didn't have a ton of time to find in our area but somehow we got some new people in our teaching pool.  Clifford is still progressing rapidly. Sammy is still on a quest to finish the Book of Mormon. Everyone is doing great in the teaching pool!

The Berekum Branch is doing well.  There are some things to improve on but they are still grinding it out, trying to build Zion out here. 

The Berekum Branch Mid Week Meeting

This is the set up inside our Branch President's home for our Sunday Services.

Oh yeah, I found out that for this transfer I am  leaving the area. They didn't give me any details, just told me I should prepare to move!  Sad!  I love Berekum! I was kind of expecting it though!  Change is a normal part of mission life I guess! 

This week I was just thinking about promptings from the Holy Ghost.  If you are receiving a prompting from the spirit, it's probably just a "what to do" type prompting.  A lot people ask us why they are seeing missionaries in dreams or “Why did I see the church in my dreams??”  Most of the time Heavenly Father doesn’t give us specific reasons as to why we receive promptings.  He just expects us to follow his council and act on it.  Anyway.... Just a thought.... Life is way easier when you just do what the Holy Ghost is telling you to do.

Have a great week.... 

Elder Turner

ELDER ELIJAH T. TURNER

GHANA KUMASI MISSION

Clifford is the one in the blue shirt with glasses

Members of the Berekum Branch